Method of heating and humidifying air.



No. 854,270. 1 PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

' r w. H. CARRIER.

METHOD OF HEATING AND HUMID IFYING AIR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

Wnlms .1-1. (LXRRIER, or BUFFALO, wswromt, assioxon TO BUFFALO,

- FORGE COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, new YosK.

METHOD OF HEATING AND HUMIDIFYING AlR- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed Jul 16,1906- Serial No. 326.328.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, W1Lus II. CARRIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buf falo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful 1m provement in Methods of Heating and Hu- *ing Air, of which the following is a.

perature of air for heating and ventilating purposes, the invention being especially useful for sup flying fresh air of a definite absolute humi ity in textile mills where it is necessary for the health of the employees, and to insure a. high grade product, to keep the temperature and humidity within prescribed limits.

The object of the invention is to automatically regulate the temperature and humidity of the air regardless of external atmospheric conditions within limits, in an economical and practical manner, and withou'tuse of dircct radiation, by introducing into the air,

water at properly regulated temperatures below the boiling point.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting,

of two sheets: Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of an apparatusadapted for carrying out the method. embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thereof, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation, on an enlargedsczile, of

the thernmstatic devices;

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures. I Incarrying out the-method forming the subject matter of this invention, warm or hot water at a temperature above that of the air and below. the boiling point is intimately mixed with current of air, preferably by discharging the water into the air in a very fine spray or mist., The water raises the temperature of the air which will therefore vaporize and assimilate an amount 'of the water depending upon the rise in temperature of the air so that itshumidity is increased.

-A thermostat sub'ect to the influence of the heated and humi ified air controls means in the water-supply system, whereby the water is maintained at the pro er temperature-to raise the tcnl erat-urc of t e air to the degree an amount of vapor sufficient to give the desired absolute humidity to the air when raised to the temperature at which it isto be utilized. The free water is separated from the air current and is preferably collected, reheated and returned in the form of spray to the air, the same water with such additional amount as is necessary to maintain a constant volume of water being thus repeatedly circulated and used. Incidentally the air is thoroughly washed and cleansed, as the water sprayed into the air collects the solid "particles of dust and foreign matter, which adhere to the free particles of water and are separated with the latter from the air.

The method will be more fully explained in connection with the operation of the apparatus for performing the same. paratus employed for carrying out this method is preferably constructed as follows:

Arepresentsatrunk orchamberthroughwhich a' current of external air is caused to pass by-a suitable fan or other propelling device B. Within the trunk or chamber A is located a batter of spray nozzles C of any suitable sort a apted to fill the trunk or chamber with The up i a. fine s ray or mist of water, so that all por- I tions 0 the air in passing through the trunk.

or chamber will come into intimate contact.

with the water. D represents a separator of any suitable sort adapted to remove-the free series of spaced zig-zag upright bafiie plates against w ich the air impinges as it passes between them. collecton and run down the ba-file plates and flow into a collecting well or receptacle E at the bottom of the air trunk or chamber. F represents a water supply pipe leadi'ng from a source of supply to the spray nozzles. Preferably the same water is repeatedly used, being pumped from the well E in the air trunk and returned. to the spray nozzles after being heated. For this purpose a pump G is shown, having a suction pipe 9' entering the well E. The discharge pipe g of this pump leads to a water heating device II, which may be a feed water heater or any other means .for raising the temperature of the water.

required for t 1e air to become saturated with 1 Another pump has a suction or intake pipe The free particles of water i leading from the water heater H and this pump is connected to the supply pipe F and furnishes the water to the spray nozzles. A by-pass pipe '5 connects the pipes g and 1'. leading to and from the water heater to enable a part or all of the water to pass by the heater Without being heated. A. thermostatic valve 'i' of any suitable sort is provided in the by-pass pipe 11 and this valve is controlled by a thermostat K located within the air trunk or chamber A, where it will be influenced by the warmed and humidified air after passing the separator. In' the construction shown, which is Well'known, the thermostatic valve 01 is operated by compressed air from a pipe is and the air pressure is controlled by a valve is in such ipe actuated by the thermostat K. The t ermostat is expanded or contracted by changes of temperature in the air surrounding it and through the medium of the compressed air shifts the thermostatic valve '1? to allow .a greater or less volume of water to pass around the heater through the by-pass ipe if, thereby regulating the temperature 0 the water. Sufficient water is supplied to the well E by a pipe 1 controlled by a float-operated valve 1, Figs. 34, to m'ake up for the water vaporized and maintain a constant volume in the circulating system. The water circulating or supply and heating devices and the thermostatic devices for controlling the temperature of the water above described are intended only to give a proper understanding of the apparatus and any other suitable means for these purposes could be employed.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The thermostatic controlling devices are adjusted to keep the water at the temperature necessary to heat the external air to a predetermined temperature, and if the temperature of the external air rises or fallsthey will automatically decrease or increase the temperature of the water sufficiently to maintam the ad 111 the air-trunk or chamber after passing the separator practically at such pre-f determined temperature. An illustration of the operation f the apparatus is afforded by the following example: Let it be required to maintain seventy-live per cent. saturation with a room ten'iperature of F. This requires that the air in the room shall contain approximately six grains-of moisture per cubic foot, and to secure this the air must be saturated at about 61, as this is the maximum weight of water which will be assimilated or vaporized by the air at this temperature. The thermostat is therefore set or adjusted so that the water will be sprayed into the air at a temperature high enough to raise the ten'iperature of the air as nearly as possi- )0 to l3l, and the air being in intimate conta -t with the llll(. spray or mist of Water will vaporize or assimilate this maximum quanby a heatin device M, Fig. 1, of any usual or suitable orm, or by discharging the air into a room heated sufficiently by other means to cause the necessary rise in temperature of the air. The relative humidity of the air will depend u on the temperature given to it after being 'umidified, and to increase or decrease the humidity the thermostat is adjusted to saturate the air at higher or lower temperatures. The absolute vhumidity of the air can thus, by the proper adjustment of the thermostat, be regulated as desired. The apparatus is more particularly ada ted for operation when the temperature of t 6 external atmosphere is below 63- F. but it will also operate with reasonable certainty at somewhat higher temperatures, for instance, up to 70 F. more or less.

In order to render the thermostat more responsive at temperatures above 63 F. it is preferably inclee'ed by a perforated or wire gauze screen N Fig. 3-, covered with muslin or analogous moisture absorbing fabric which is kept moist in any suitable way, for instance, by a regulated .uantity of water which flows thereon from a rip cook it. The thermostat is thus always enveloped by a moist atmoshere instead of being acted upon directly y the more or less (I air in the trunk or chamber and it will. t en correspond more nearly to the web bulb of a hy rometer. This is desirable in treating air at't lie higher temperatures as then the hot water spray.

does not so greatly va the temperature-0f the-air and consequent y will not so readily saturate it with vapor.

It will be understood that a large volume of water is intimately mixed with the air and the water is never heated to the boiling point.

I claim as my inven tion:

1. The herein described method of humidifying air, consisting in causing an intimate contact of the air with water heated to a temerature above that of the air and below the lioiling point, and automatically regulating the tem erature of the water to maintain a practica ly constant temperature ol the air, substantially as set forth.

, 2. The herein described method of heating air, consisting in spraying into the air water heated to a temperature above that ol' the air andbelow the boiling point, and automatically varying the tem )erature of the water to maintainer practically constant temperature of the air by means controlled by the temperature of the air, substantially as set forth.

3. The herein described method of heating the air by means controlled by the temperature of the air, substantially as set forth.

4. The herein described method of regulating the absolute humidity of air, consisting in spraying into the air Water heated to a temperature above that of the air and below the boiling point, and regulating the'temperature of the water by means controlled by the temperature of the humidified air, substantially as set forth.

5. The herein described method of regulating the absolute humidity of air, consisting in spraying into the air water'heated to a temperature above that of the air and below the boiling point, separating the free water from theair and regulating the temperature of the water by means controlled by the temperature of the humidified air, substantially as set forth.

6. The herein described method of regulating the absolute humidity of air, consisting in spraying into the air Water heated to a tern-- perature above that of the air and below the boiling point, separating the free Water from the air and regulating the temperature of the water by a thermostatic device influenced by the humidified air, substantially as set forth.

7. The herein described method of regulating the relative humidity of air, consisting in saturating the air with vapor by causing an intimate contact of the air with water heated to a temperature above that ofthe air and be low the boiling point, regulating the temperature of the Water bya thermostatic device influencedby the humidified air, and then changing the temperature of the air, substanti ally as set forth.

' 8. The herein described method of regulat- 1 ing the absolute humidity of air, consisting in spraying into the air water heated to a temperature above that of the air and below the boiling point, and regulating the temperature of the water by a thermostatic device enveloped by moisture and influenced by the hu-- midified air, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand, this sixth day of July, 1906.

WILLIS .H. CARRIER.

Witnesses:

F. W. GoTTscHAL WM. L. Fox. 

